Five candidates took the stage in Houston to debate who the Republican Party should nominate for president, but only three of them really mattered and one of them — frontrunner Donald Trump — truly dominated the evening. He talked more than any of his rivals and was talked about more than any of his rivals, because the Republican Party has finally gotten serious about the idea that unless something drastic changes soon he is likely to be the GOP nominee.

Thursday night was the first debate to feature sustained multi-directional attacks on Trump with little infighting between the non-Trump candidates. It was also the first debate in which Marco Rubio squarely defined himself as the anti-Trump, hitting him both explicitly and implicitly on both policy and personal matters.

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John McCain and other top Republicans are distancing themselves from their presidential nominee. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks it down. Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

“Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, praised the late Army Capt. Humayun Khan for being “an example of true American greatness” after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized his parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan.

Trump criticized Khizr for saying at the Democratic National Convention that the business mogul has “sacrificed nothing,” claiming Khan “has no right” to say “inaccurate things” in front of millions. McCain condemned Trump’s statements, thanking the Khans for immigrating to America and for their son’s sacrifice.

“It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,” McCain said Monday in a statement.

“Lastly, I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America. We’re a better country because of you,” he added. “And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation – and he will never be forgotten.”

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